Germán R. Blanco

Born in Gijón, Asturias, winemaker Germán Blanco currently divides his time between the regions of El Bierzo, Ribera del Duero and La Rioja. The three wine projects are gathered under the commercial name Lively Wines.

Mr. Blanco’s project in El Bierzo is called Casa Aurora. Created in 2010, the project was named after his great-grandmother, Ms. Aurora García, a very strong woman who lived until age 106 and was one the first women in Spain to work in the mines. The current production of bodega Casa Aurora, whose winemaking facility is located in Albares de Ribera, the native town of Ms. García, is around 10,000 bottles.

Located in the Bierzo Alto, a remote, unspoiled area at altitudes between 800 and 1,000 metres, outside the current boundaries of DO Bierzo, the vineyards of Casa Aurora have soils composed of red clay and granitic rock with a high mineral content. Most of the vines are old or very old, from 40 to over 100 years of age.

The wines from bodega Casa Aurora are made principally from Mencía, the flagship variety of El Bierzo, which usually coexists in the vineyard with Merenzao (aka Trousseau), Alicante Bouschet and the white variety Palomino. Most Casa Aurora wines are produced from estate vineyards, although Mr. Blanco also buys grapes to local winegrowers for the entry-level wines, such as La Nave Casa Aurora.

The wines of the Casa Aurora winery are vinified in oak vats and barrels, clay amphorae, Flextank eggs and botticella. The grapes are usually destemmed to avoid green flavours, and wood is used with great restraint. Besides the entry-level wine, the portfolio includes regional and single vineyard wines, the most elegant of which is La Galapana, sourced from the plot of vines which belonged to Mr. Blanco’s great- grandmother.

In Ribera del Duero, Germán Blanco is the co-owner, together with the Herrero family, of the Quinta Milú winery. Started in 2006, the project is based in the village La Aguilera, where the Herreros have lived and tended the family vineyards for generations. The current production of Quinta Milú is around 100,000 bottles, sourced from 20 hectares of vineyards planted with Tempranillo, Albillo, Grenache and Bobal. The entry-level red wine, Milú, is the company’s best-known product.

Lastly, in the region of La Rioja Mr. Blanco produces around 70,000 bottles of a red wine called La Bicicleta Voladora, a nicely priced thirst-quencher made from a blend of red varieties and a spark of Viura, aged in amphorae, concrete diposits and Flextank eggs.

• Year of foundation: 2010
• Address: Calle El Olivo S/N
• City: Albares de la Ribera
  
• Province: León
• Zip code: 24310
  
• Country: Spain
• Phone number: 34 661 328 504
  
• www.lively-wines.com
• Guided visits? No
• Wine tourism services? No

Designation of origin:

Bierzo, Ribera del Duero, Rioja.

Red wine varieties:

Mencía, Merenzao, Alicante Bouschet, Tempranillo, Grenache, Bobal.

White wine varieties:

Palomino, Albillo, Viura.